Improvement in front-falls for pianos



A. H. HASTINGS.

Improvement in Front Falls for Pianos. No. 115,053. Patentedmay 23,1871.Y

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PATENT OEEICE AZARIA HORACE HASTINGS, OF NEV YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN FRONT-FALLS FOR PIANOS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,053, dated May 23, 1871.

To all uhom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AZARIA HORACE HAST- INGS, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Front-Fall for Upright Pianos; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specitication, in which- Figure l represents a front view of my improvement in pianos. Fig. 2 is a section of the same.

Similar letters ot' reference indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to anew construction of the lid or front-fall of upright pianofortes, and has for its object to let said lid, when open, serve as a music-holder or desk, and also to leave the ends ot' the key-board unobstructed by the frame. The invention consists in making the lid in form of a box-cover, so that the lower ledge of the opened lid will form a support for the music. The end ledges overlap the key-board and make the ordinary projections on the frame unnecessary.

A in the drawing represents the key-bottom of an upright piano-forte. B is thekey-board, C, the hinged lid or front-fall. The same is made in form of a boX-cover-that is to say, of a straight or curved plate, a., and four ledges, b, c c, and d. The lower hinged ledge b is large enough to serve as support for the music when the lid is opened, as indicated in Fig. 2, a rib, c, being afixed to the ledge b for hold` ing the music in place. The end ledges c c i'old over the ends of the key-board and overlap the same. This permits the omission ot" the ordinary side projections on the key-bottom and leaves the entire key-board free at the ends, giving thereby greater freedom to the player. The front ledge d overlaps the front ends of the keys, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

By forming the music-holder on this box-lid the expense ot' the instrument is considerably reduced, and a long desk, which will hold the music in any suitable position, provided.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The lid or front-fall G of an upright piano, made box-shaped, with the ledges b, c c, and d, ot' which one constitutes the music-holder, as set forth.

A. HGRAGE HASTINGS.

Wi tnesses:

GEO. W. MAEEE, T. B. MosnEn. 

